Method of producing differential color effects in fabrics, and the fabric



Patented May 16, 1950 METHOD OF PRODUCING DIFFERENTIAL COLOR EFFECTS IN FABRICS, AND THE FABRIC Camille Dreyfus and Aaron Schwartz, New York,

assignors to Celanese Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application December 11, 1946, Serial No. 715,620

13 Claims.

This invention relates to the production of novel efiect yarns, threads, knitted, woven or other fabrics or other materials, and relates more particularly to a novel process for the production of such effect materials.

It is an object of this invention to provide novel effect yarns, threads, knitted, woven or other fabrics made of staple fibers having a basis of natural or artificial materials.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a novel process for the production of such effect yarns or threads, or fabrics made therefrom.

Other objects of this invention will appear from the following detailed description.

We have found that very desirable color effects may be produced by weaving, knitting, twisting or otherwise processing yarns or threads which are spun from staple fibers having a basis of natural or artificial materials, subjecting the processed yarns or threads to different degrees of twist, i. e. number of turns, along the length thereof, and then coloring the same with suitable dyestuffs. By differentially twisting the spun yarns or threads along th'e'length thereof,

materials may be produced which, while con-' sisting of staple fibers of but one material and dyed with a single dyestufi, nevertheless exhibit cross-dyed or mottled effects. The cross-dyed and mottled effects are due to the fact that the spun yarns or threads of differential twist along the length thereof absorb dye liquor differentially, the portions of lower twist absorbing more dye liquor and being darker in shade than the portions of higher twist.

' By making the spun yarns or threads of staple fibers of mixed lengths and/or deniers, or of either lustrous or delustered or a mixture of lustrous and delustered artificial staple fibers, or by varying the count along the length of the yarn or thread, still further effects may be produced upon coloring of the material.

The spun yarn or thread employed in accordance with this invention may, as stated above, contain staple fibers of natural or artificial materials. Thus, the spun yarn may be produced either from natural staple fibers, such as cotton or wool, or from continuous filaments, such as natural or artificial silk. Where continuous filaments are employed, these are converted into staple fibers by any suitable cutting mechanism. The fibrous material produced may be treated as a roving, being spun into a yarn or thread in a subsequent operation, or, alterdom order.

final yarn or thread, for example, by means of ring or cap-spinning devices. Staplized or imitation spun yarn or thread, i. e., yarn or thread having a basis of continuous filaments but with some at least converted into staple fiber, may also be used in accordance with this invention.

As indicated, the staple fibers making up the spun yarns differentially twisted and colored in accordance with this invention may have a basis of natural or artificial materials. Thus, they may have a basis of wool, natural silk, cotton, cellulose acetate or other organic derivative of cellulose, regenerated or reconstituted cellulose such as viscose, cuprammonium or nitrocellulose silk, or synthetic linear polyamide condensation products derived from amino-acids or from the condensation products of diamines with carboxylio: acids, e. g. polyhexamethylene adipamide.

The application of differential twists along the length of the spun yarn or thread may be effected in any suitable manner, and preferably the twist applied should range from 10 to 25 turns per inch, either right or left, in any ran- Where the count of the spun yarn or thread is varied, the count should preferably range from 15 to 35.

The twisted spun yarn or thread may be dyed in any suitable manner either before or after being processed into fabric or other material, the dyestuff employed being one which has an afiinity for the material forming the basis of the staple fibers from which the spun yarn or thread is made.

The following example illustrates our invention but it is to be clearly understood that it does not limit it in any way.

A spun yarn or thread having along its length variations in twist ranging from Hz to 242 per inch and in random order is prepared from 3 denier per filament, 2 inch staple fiber having a basis of cellulose acetate. A fabric is knit with two parallel ends of said spun yarn or 0 thread. The fabric is then dyed in a dyebath containing SRA Blue 4.

The dyed fabric exhibits a cross-dyed effect of desirable appearance although but one kind of material forms the basis of the staple fibers of the spun yarn, and but one dyestuff is employed in the dyebath.

Upon examination of the fabric, it is seen that the dark streaks in the fabric are due to the low twist portions in the two ends coming atively, it may be twisted continuously into the 68 together in the fabrics, and the light streaks are 3 due to the high twist portions in each end coming together.

From the foregoing description of our invention, it will be appreciated that the process of the present invention possesses many advantages over prior methods of producing color effects in textile or other articles. Thus, for example, in accordance with our novel process it is not necessary (1) to employ the step of differentially or randomly saponifying cellulose ester textile materials where such materials are used, (2) to employ textile materials having different affinities for the dyestuffs used, or (3) to employ textile materials of different base materials each of which has an affinity for different dyestuffs. It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merely by way of illustration and that many variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having described our invention, what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Process for the production of textile and other materials having differential color effects thereon, which comprises forming a yarn or 1 thread of uniform count from staple fibers having a basis of a single material, inserting a twist therein varying in degree and in random order along the length of said spun yarn or thread, processing said differentially twisted spun yarn or thread into a fabric, and then applying a dyestuff to said fabric.

2. Process for the production of textile and other materials having differential color effects thereon, which comprises forming a yarn or thread of uniform count from staple fibers having a basis of cellulose acetate, inserting a twist therein varying in degree and in random order along the length of said spun yarn or thread, processing said differentially twisted spun yarn or thread into a fabric, and then applying a dyestuff to said fabric.

3. Process for the production of textile and other materials having differential color effects thereon, which comprises forming a yarn or thread of uniform count from staple fibers having a basis of a single material, inserting a twist therein varying in degree and in random order along the length of said spun yarn or thread, knitting said differentially twisted spun yarn or thread into a fabric, and then applying a dyestuff to said fabric.

4. Process for the production of textile and other materials having differential color effects thereon, which comprises forming a. yarn or thread of uniform count from staple fibers having a basis of cellulose acetate, inserting a twist therein varying in degree and in random order along the length of said spun yarn or thread, knitting said differentially twisted spun yarn or thread into a fabric, and then applying a dyestuff to said fabric.

5. Process for the production of textile and other materials having differential color effects thereon, which comprises forming a yarn or thread of uniform count from staple fibers having a basis of a single material inserting a, twist therein varying in degree and in random order 4 along the length of said spun yarn or thread, knitting two parallel ends of said differentially twisted yarn into a fabric, and then applying a dyestuff to said fabric.

6. Process for the production of textile and other materials having differential color effects thereon, which comprises forming a yarn or thread of uniform count from staple fibers having a basis of cellulose acetate, inserting a twist therein varying in degree and in random order along the length of said spun yarn or thread. knitting two parallel ends of said differentially twisted yarn into a fabric, and then applying l dyestuff to said fabric.

7. Process for the production of textile and other materials having differential color effects thereon, which comprises forming a yarn or thread of uniform count from staple fibers having a basis of a single material, inserting a twist therein varying at random from 10 to 25 twists per inch along the length of said spun yarn or thread, knitting two parallel ends of said differentiall twisted yarn into a fabric, and then applying a dyestuff to said fabric.

8. Process for the production of textile and other materials having differential color effects thereon, which comprises forming a yarn or thread of uniform count from staple fibers having a basis of cellulose acetate, inserting a twist therein varying at random from 10 to 25 twists per inch along the length of said spun yarn or thread, knitting two parallel ends of said differentially twisted yarn into a fabric, and then applying a dyestuff to said fabric.

9. A fabric having differential color effects thereon obtained in accordance with the process of claim 1.

10. A fabric having differential color effects thereon obtained in accordance with th process of claim 2.

11. A fabric having differential color effects thereon obtained in accordance with the process of claim 4. I

12. A knitted fabric having differential color effects thereon obtained in accordance with the process of claim 5.

13. A knitted fabric having differential color effects thereon obtained in accordance with the process of claim 8.

CAMILLE DREYFUS. AARON SCHWARTZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,655,973 Ross Jan. 10, 1928 2,233,819 Openshaw Mar. 4, 1941 2,264,193 White Nov. 25, 1941 2,359,847 Hays et al. Oct. 10, 1944 2,400,663 Tennant May 21, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 145,678 Switzerland Mar. 16, 1931 681,317 France Jan. 28, 1930 

1. PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF TEXTILE AND OTHER MATERIALS HAVING DIFFERENTIAL COLOR EFFECTS THEREON, WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A YARN OR THREAD OF UNIFORM COUNT FROM STAPLE FIBERS HAVING A BASIS OF A DINGLE MATERIAL, INSERTING A TWIST THEREIN VARYING IN DEGREE AND IN RANDOM ORDER ALONG THE LENGTH OF SAID SPUN YARD OR THREAD, PROCESSING SAID DIFFERENTIALLY TWISTED SPUN YARN OR THREAD INTO A FABRIC, AND THEN APPLYING A DYESTUFF TO SAID FABRIC. 